This invention relates to RF identification devices and, more particularly, to RF identification devices designed to permit the transmission of information about a person or thing to whom or which the RF identification devices are secured. The RF identification devices of the instant invention have particular application in the identification of individuals and the transmission of relevant information about said individuals to a master receiving and transmitting station whereby, when said master station addresses the RF identification devices on particular individuals, it will be able to ascertain various aspects of relevant data pertinent to the condition, situation, or other pertinent information about the individual.
Of course, a hand-held reader capable of receiving information from the identification device of the instant invention and, in certain instances, of transmitting information to the memory of the identification device of the instant invention for storage therein, can be used in substitution for the master station referred to hereinabove.
At the present time, identification devices such as wristbands or the like are widely used in hospitals to identify patients and to provide information regarding the patients. Such wristbands are also utilized in various other applications, including prisoner identification and crowd control. Initially, such wristbands were confined to providing the bare minimum of the patient's name and, possibly, the nature of the patient's illness. Recently, such wristbands have been provided with encoded information in the form of bar codes or the like whereby considerable additional information about the patient can be ascertained, including such relevant data as medication, the patient's condition, or the like.
In utilizing such wristbands, bar code readers are provided to the nursing or other staff members and the nurse or other staff member reads the bar code before administering medication or performing various therapeutic measures.
While the use of bar codes or other encoded materials has constituted a considerable advance, once the bar code has been applied to the identification wristband, the alteration of the information on the wristband entails the substitution of a new wristband. In addition, because of physical limitations, the information imparted by bar codes or the like is necessarily limited.
A possible solution which would overcome the limitations of identification wristbands which are bar-coded or the like would be to provide an RF circuit in the wristband which would incorporate a semi-conductor circuit with logic, memory, and an RF circuit connected to an antenna capable of receiving and transmitting information so that a nurse or other staff member carrying a transponder could query the RF circuit of the wristband to elicit a wide spectrum of information not presently available in conventional wristbands.
Unfortunately, available RF circuits are relatively expensive and, since conventional wristbands are disposable after use, such circuits would have to be discarded if they were integral components of the wristband.
Conventional identification wristbands are generally of substantially flat cross-section and consist of one or more laminates of various types of material including vinyl plastic, synthetic papers and the like. Although every effort is made to provide wristbands which are sufficiently soft so that the opposite edges of the band do not irritate the skin of the wearer, the utilization of conventional wristbands in environments where the wristband is installed upon the wrist of a patient or a prisoner for an extended period of time, irritates the skin of the wearer of the band.
This is particularly true in circumstances where the skin of the individual wearing a conventional band tends to be more friable than other individuals, such as the skin of a person committed for a long period of time to a rest home or convalescent facility. It is well known to those skilled in the art that the skin of these individuals tends to be more subject to abrasion and contusion than the skin of more mobile healthy individuals. This is due, in part, to the fact that many of these individuals are not ambulatory and are relatively immobile in beds or wheelchairs.
Under such circumstances, the conventional identification wristband tends to be rubbed sharply against the skin of the immobile individual and to gradually abrade the skin, causing cuts or sores which are highly undesirable in the rest home or convalescent home environment.
Prior art U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,323,554 and 5,343,608 show a circular tube utilized as an identification wristband body including a cylindrical connector and complicated method of securement of the opposite extremities of the tubular body to each other. This construction provides only lineal contact with the skin of the wearer and there is a tendency for the cylindrical body of the band to roll thus causing friction with the skin of the wearer and the misplacement of the identification card or tag which is located within the body.
Accordingly, what is needed is a wristband that provides a comfortable fit for the wearer. There is a further need for a wristband that allows the wearer to be identifiable. There is an additional need for a wristband that includes reusable elements. The present invention satisfies these needs and provides other related advantages.